WFB Hobby: Cauldron of Blood
Is there any sight more dread inducing than a Dark Elf Cauldron of Blood? Well let me take you through some stepes you can use to dress yours up a bit.
First off, the Cauldron can move, and the mini doesn’t really seem to give that impression. After some sketches of it on a wagon, or dragged by chained slaves, I searched around form something that might fit without looking like it was taken from another range. The closest I came was the Corpse Cart, but even it didn’t seem exactly right. That left me with my fallback position of a large warmachine base with the Cauldron elevated to give it more visual weight on the tabletop.
I started with a standard Movement tray, and added 2 layers of roughed up cork. This served as a decent mound atop which the cauldron could be sinistarly mounted. Spots were cut out for the Hag and attendants, the Cauldron dry-attached and the entire thing was covered with a gravel mix.
Next the Cauldron itself was painted with a heavy emphasis on a windswept icy feel. I stuck with all cool colors, and painted the statue of Khaine as a tarnished idol ill cared for by the crew, splattered with only blood and vertigris. The entire thing was dullcoated when complete except the magical blood itself which was very brightly painted and varnished manually with hi-gloss floor wax sealant for maximum gleam.
The Attendants were painted to match the army, the gravel base drybrushed to an icy finish and the Cauldron glued in place.
Next the piece was dressed up with a collection of various race’s shattered shields strewn about the idol (including several Dark Elf ones). The final touch to tie all the elements together was a fine set of slushy snow patches that run across the ground, the shields and even some parts of the statue itself.
~I’m quite happy about the end result, and it is easy to play with, has well defined edges, and certainly dressed up the default Cauldron of Blood kit, which is certainly starting to show its age at this point. Have at it guys and gals!
